I spent five years at Forbes writing about business and leadership, attracting nearly one million unique visitors to Forbes.com each month. While here, I assistant edited the annual World’s 100 Most Powerful Women package and helped launch and grow ForbesWoman.com. I've appeared on CBS, CNBC, MSNBC and E Entertainment and speak often at conferences and events on women's leadership topics. I graduated summa cum laude from New York University with degrees in journalism and sociology and was honored with a best in business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) in 2012. My work has appeared in Businessweek, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Aesthete and Acura Style. I live in New York City with my husband and can be found on Twitter @Jenna_Goudreau, Facebook, and Google+.

Go Toward Your Fear, Do Less, And Five More Surprising Leadership Lessons For Women

Lori Senecal, chairman and CEO of New York-based ad agency Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners (kbs), has learned a thing or two about climbing to the top. She worked her way up to president of the flagship New York office of storied ad agency McCann Erickson before joining kbs in 2009 and taking the helm last year. While there, she’s overseen cutting edge campaigns for BMW and Puma, and helped launch an industry mentoring initiative called Straight Up to encourage more women to advance into leadership.

I sat down with Senecal to learn more about her career trajectory and to get her best advice for future female leaders. Here’s what she said.

Go Toward Your Fear

“You have to get comfortable with the fear,” says Senecal. Leaping into the unknown or taking on a big challenge may be scary, but they also represent the best opportunities for growth. Senecal grew up in Montreal, Canada, and worked in Toronto for many years before she decided to take a chance and move to New York City. At first, she was rattled by the change, but she quickly settled in and eventually rose to the executive level at McCann. Moving in the direction of your fear, rather than avoiding it, is an especially important message for women, she says. “Women hold themselves to incredibly high standards. If they don’t feel 100% ready, they may be more cautious.” Don’t let fear paralyze you.

Be A Squeaky Wheel

“When it comes to career advancement and compensation, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want and need,” says Senecal. This is one lesson she learned the hard way. “I always thought if you put your head down and worked hard, they would hand you what you deserved,” she says. “It’s not the case.” Research shows that women are less likely to negotiate their starting salaries (Senecal didn’t), which sets them back their entire careers. It’s okay—and important—to ask for what you’re worth and to ask for resources on the job that will make you more successful.

Create Your Own Leadership Opportunities

“There are only a finite number of leadership positions in a given company,” Senecal says. “But there’s so much that needs to get done. If you can find an opportunity or space to drive progress, chances are you can create your own microcosm of leadership.” When she was head of account management at McCann, she was working on new kinds of marketing approaches and insights to reach young adults. She realized there was an opportunity to package the approach and create a unit based on targeting that demographic. She pitched it to her supervisor and got the go-ahead to launch an “agency within the agency” called TAG. “If you’re at a point where the next job would require vision and you can show it on a smaller level, then you’ll be first in line,” she says.

Just Say ‘Yes’

Because women tend to be more cautious and often want to feel completely prepared before taking on greater responsibilities, they may pass or not raise their hands for advancement. Even if it makes you uncomfortable, Senecal advises just saying “yes” and figuring it out as you go. “It’s okay to jump in a little over your head,” she says. “That’s how you learn.”

Seek Out Dangerous Assignments

Taking on high-risk assignments helps you quickly distinguish yourself and prove that you can take it. “If you volunteer for dangerous missions, you show courage, capability and dedication,” says Senecal. For example, she describes pitching new business for kbs as an intense, highly competitive, 24/7 experience that results in clear winners and losers. She has to be prepared to lose more than she wins. However, she says the dangers associated with temporary defeat are far outweighed by the potential to deliver tangible business growth.

Do Less, Better

“If you do less, better, then you can focus on opportunities to have the greatest impact and create real value, which is how you get recognized,” says Senecal. “It’s possible to get lost when you take on too much work.” She learned the value of prioritizing though trial and error. She would often over-volunteer for assignments, she says, which took up so much time that there was little left for planning and strategic thinking. By focusing for impact, you get a higher return on your time.

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Illustrate your vision and show your passion. And be sure to challenge yourself on occasion, taking sufficient risks to make yourself uncomfortable enough to learn and grow, and soon you will see yourself becoming a more confident and accomplished business leader.

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These aren’t new pieces of advice to women or men, but the first one certainly is what holds most back – fear. I love that line – ‘lean into your fear’. You might be surprised and find your success on the other side of it! www.mamasthatworkit.com

I think the workplace is a trickier place for women than for men, because we are constantly having to balance enough femininity to be perceived as agreeable, but enough boldness to get things done.

Who says we need to subscribe to the rules of others in order to be successful?

Our emotional and adaptive natures teach us to walk on eggshells, to hesitate before presenting a new idea, to be afraid of asking for less work, so that we can focus on the projects we are assigned.

We need to do away with this kind of thinking.

We are capable, intelligent, innovative employees who deserve just as much say and investment as our male colleagues – but in order for our EMPLOYERS to see that, WE need to see it first. We need to be willing to put ourselves and our ideas on the line – be willing to “lose” a lot, and win a little – in order to make progress in our careers and confidence levels.

there’s a lot in this article,although if I may say, go towards your fear, that invokes the fighter in mind. Ithink maybe it should be challenge the players, when you sign a work agreement no doubt it has rules related to serious misconduct along with performance bonuses, entitlements etc. may as well say don’t. Try your best, do what your told, accept your lot,dreamer( that’s the emotional dominant effect) they do it in the army break the ego implant their own ideals..wouldn’t that explain the bosses demeaner how to control others freewiil without money,I doesn’t work we’re all going to be rich an god help us.

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